There have been major concerns and issues that continue to pervade contemporary societies. The highlights of the media report, journal critique, and personal interview focus more on inequality, discrimination, and implicit bias in the criminal justice system towards members of the minority groups.
One learned and acknowledged the relevance of implementing laws, policies, and regulations that seriously take note of the needs, rights, opportunities, and resources that should be accorded to all people, regardless of age, gender, race or ethnic orientation, cultural background, or other demographic factors. The current justice system appears to be perceived as applying discriminatory practices based mainly on implicit bias and stereotyped beliefs. As such, to address all of these major issues, government regulators and policymakers should be composed of equally diverse and represented members of both, the majority and minority groups, to ensure that all major concerns are appropriately heard, discussed, evaluated and addressed.
Suggestions and Recommendations for Resolving Identified Issues
As initially observed, one is convinced the most of the issues that remain unresolved pertain to minority groups. Likewise, the implicit bias noted in the criminal justice system, as learned from the article written by Grove (2014), stemmed from the way people process facts and information as biologically designed in the brain. Therefore, in conjunction with accepted behavior and social norms, some habits – based on traditions – remain. As such, it would be tedious and significantly challenging for these major issues and concerns to be appropriately addressed, if and when, the policymakers are composed mainly of members of the majority group. From past and current trends exhibited by the performance and output of the criminal justice system over the years, it was observed and was evident from various studies that discrimination and inequality in treatment to minority groups remain.
Therefore, as one suggested, if the government regulators and policymakers are composed of equal number of members of majority and minority groups – where each minority group is also equally represented in the Congress; then, there is a greater chance that the laws to be enacted would address the major issues and concerns that continue to exist in contemporary societies. For instance, the issue on banning same sex marriage has been an existing and continuing concern for other states which refused to allow homosexuals to get married and avail of similar rights accorded to heterosexual couples. As one asserted, each individual is given the right and the privilege to select a partner of preference, regardless of age, gender or cultural orientation. Why should these people’s rights to enjoy similar privileges and benefits given to heterosexual couples be any less?
The lessons learned from the course opened one’s awareness on plights of minority groups that need to be immediately addressed. Society, through lawmakers, should take a stand in resolving; rather than preventing these people to enjoy similar rights and benefits that are supposed to be enjoyed, availed, and accessed by all.
References
Family Name, N. (2014). Critique to Scholarly Journal.
Family Name, N. (2014). Personal Interview.
Family Name, N. (2014). Reaction to Articles.
